1 C omfort, comfort My people, says your God.

Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people, saith your God.

2 S peak tenderly to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry to her that her time of service and her warfare are ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and call to her, That her warfare hath been completed, That accepted hath been her punishment, That she hath received from the hand of Jehovah Double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one who cries: Prepare in the wilderness the way of the Lord; make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God!

A voice is crying -- in a wilderness -- Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, Make straight in a desert a highway to our God.

4 E very valley shall be lifted and filled up, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked and uneven shall be made straight and level, and the rough places a plain.

Every valley is raised up, And every mountain and hill become low, And the crooked place hath become a plain, And the entangled places a valley.

5 A nd the glory (majesty and splendor) of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.

And revealed hath been the honour of Jehovah, And seen have all flesh together, For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.

6 A voice says, Cry! And I said, What shall I cry? All flesh is as frail as grass, and all that makes it attractive is transitory, like the flower of the field.

A voice is saying, `Call,' And he said, `What do I call?' All flesh grass, and all its goodliness As a flower of the field:

7 T he grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are like grass.

Withered hath grass, faded the flower, For the Spirit of Jehovah blew upon it, Surely the people grass;

8 T he grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.

Withered hath grass, faded the flower, But a word of our God riseth for ever.

9 O you who bring good tidings to Zion, get up to the high mountain. O you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

On a high mountain get thee up, O Zion, Proclaiming tidings, Lift up with power thy voice, O Jerusalem, proclaiming tidings, Lift up, fear not, say to cities of Judah, `Lo, your God.'

10 B ehold, the Lord God will come with might, and His arm will rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.

Lo, the Lord Jehovah with strength cometh, And His arm is ruling for Him, Lo, His hire with Him, and His wage before Him.

11 H e will feed His flock like a shepherd: He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom and will gently lead those that have their young.

As a shepherd His flock He feedeth, With His arm He gathereth lambs, And in His bosom He carrieth: Suckling ones He leadeth.

12 W ho has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?

Who hath measured in the hollow of his hand the waters? And the heavens by a span hath meted out, And comprehended in a measure the dust of the earth, And hath weighed in scales the mountains, And the hills in a balance?

13 W ho has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him?

Who hath meted out the Spirit of Jehovah, And, His counsellor, doth teach Him!

14 W ith whom did He take counsel, that instruction might be given Him? Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge and showed Him the way of understanding?

With whom consulted He, That he causeth Him to understand? And teacheth Him in the path of judgment, And teacheth Him knowledge? And the way of understanding causeth Him to know?

15 B ehold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket and are counted as small dust on the scales; behold, He takes up the isles like a very little thing.

Lo, nations as a drop from a bucket, And as small dust of the balance, have been reckoned, Lo, isles as a small thing He taketh up.

16 A nd all Lebanon’s cannot supply sufficient fuel, nor all its wild beasts furnish victims enough to burn sacrifices.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt-offering.

17 A ll the nations are as nothing before Him; they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and emptiness (waste, futility, and worthlessness).

All the nations as nothing before Him, Less than nothing and emptiness, They have been reckoned to Him.

18 T o whom then will you liken God? Or with what likeness will you compare Him?

And unto whom do ye liken God, And what likeness do ye compare to Him?

19 T he graven image! A workman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and casts silver chains for it.

The graven image poured out hath a artizan, And a refiner with gold spreadeth it over, And chains of silver he is refining.

20 H e who is so impoverished that he has no offering or oblation or rich gift to give chooses a tree that will not rot; he seeks out a skillful craftsman to carve and set up an image that will not totter or deteriorate.

He who is poor heave-offerings, A tree not rotten doth choose, A skilful artizan he seeketh for it, To establish a graven image -- not moved.

21 D o you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Do ye not know -- do ye not hear? Hath it not been declared from the first to you? Have ye not understood the foundations of the earth?

22 I t is God Who sits above the circle (the horizon) of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; it is He Who stretches out the heavens like curtains and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in,

He who is sitting on the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants as grasshoppers, He who is stretching out as a thin thing the heavens, And spreadeth them as a tent to dwell in.

23 W ho brings dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges and rulers of the earth as chaos (emptiness, falsity, and futility).

He who is making princes become nothing, Judges of earth as emptiness hath made;

24 Y es, these men are scarcely planted, scarcely are they sown, scarcely does their stock take root in the earth, when blows upon them and they wither, and the whirlwind or tempest takes them away like stubble.

Yea, they have not been planted, Yea, they have not been sown, Yea, not taking root in the earth is their stock, And also He hath blown upon them, and they wither, And a whirlwind as stubble taketh them away.

25 T o whom then will you liken Me, that I should be equal to him? says the Holy One.

And unto whom do ye liken Me, And I equal? saith the Holy One.

26 L ift up your eyes on high and see! Who has created these? He Who brings out their host by number and calls them all by name; through the greatness of His might and because He is strong in power, not one is missing or lacks anything.

Lift up on high your eyes, And see -- who hath prepared these? He who is bringing out by number their host, To all of them by name He calleth, By abundance of strength (And strong in power) not one is lacking.

27 W hy, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, My way and my lot are hidden from the Lord, and my right is passed over without regard from my God?

Why sayest thou, O Jacob? and speakest thou, O Israel? `My way hath been hid from Jehovah, And from my God my judgment passeth over.'

28 H ave you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.

Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The God of the age -- Jehovah, Preparer of the ends of the earth, Is not wearied nor fatigued, There is no searching of His understanding.

29 H e gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength.

He is giving power to the weary, And to those not strong He increaseth might.

30 E ven youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;

Even youths are wearied and fatigued, And young men utterly stumble,

31 B ut those who wait for the Lord shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.

But those expecting Jehovah pass power, They raise up the pinion as eagles, They run and are not fatigued, They go on and do not faint!